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Cherry Fest is The Big One for area festivals

Being a huge region for cherry growing, Traverse City is home to the annual National Cherry Festival. It runs for 7 days in late June, early July coinciding with the annual cherry harvest. It takes up the whole waterfront area in downtown Traverse City and it's one of the must-do summer rituals. We took two 4-year-olds with us and had a blast. We spent most of our time in the Midway doing rides and games which is, of course, a big draw for families and kids. You'll find all the things you'd expect at a carnival midway in terms of rides and food. There are lots of things going on throughout the week though at various points around town. There's a big concert series at the water front to catch shows, kid-centric activities at area parks, an air show at the waterfront, fireworks over the water, and tons more. With kids as young as ours we don't get to do as much as we'd like but as they get older we can.

Tips for Families

Check out what's going on at F&M Park. There are lots of young-kid friendly events going on there during Cherry Fest. Parking can be an issue as there are LOTS of people down there. There are shuttles running on the hour from various parking points around the city. Check the Cherry Fest website for locations and times of these. If you're not one for dealing with big crowds then you better avoid this or at least try to heading down during a week day when there won't be as many people. If it's hot, there are several beaches along the water where you can take a dip in Lake Michigan or you can let the kids run through the splash pad at Clinch Park at the waterfront.